Archive for July, 2014

It’s summertime! The living is easy. Pools, picnics, concerts in the park, BBQs, beaches, homemade ice cream and movies under the stars. When you see me drinking iced instead of hot chais, reading a book instead of cooking dinner, indulging in an ice cream cone every evening and dreaming of a California coast vacation, it’s safe to say that it’s summer. Best summer activity ever: movie under the stars at the Big Sur library. Cool breeze, redwood trees, popcorn made in a pot, not a machine, international short film screening and hot chocolate. Heaven.

Here’s an easy snack to make and pack for your summer adventures.

Sugared Spiced Almondsadapted from Gourmet 1999

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon water

4 cups almonds, toasted in a 350 oven for about 5 minutes, then cooled

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Whisk together egg white and water in a large bowl until frothy and stir in nuts. Stir together sugar and cinnamon and stir into nuts, coating well. Spread nuts in a lightly buttered large shallow pan and bake in middle of oven until dry, about 40 minutes. Cool and break into bite-size chunks.